FDA, Food Safety Advocates Settle Rulemaking Litigation
The Center for Food Safety (CFS) and the FDA Commissioner have agreed to settle the rulemaking litigation, setting a schedule for the FDA to complete the development and publication of seven sets of...
View Article2015 FDA Budget Request Supports 5-Year Strategic Plan
In April 2011, FDA published a five-year strategic plan, entitled “Strategic Priorities 2011 – 2015.” In that plan, FDA set forth five modernization priorities for the agency. The plan also committed...
View ArticleFDA Warns Against Use of Bee Pollen Weight Loss Product
The FDA has issued a release warning consumers to immediately cease using Zi Xiu Tang Bee Pollen, a product marketed to aid in weight loss and body reshaping, as the product has been found to contain...
View ArticleFoodborne Infection Rates Show Little Improvement in 2013
Efforts to reduce foodborne infections in the U.S. showed little improvement in 2013, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although Salmonella infection...
View ArticleSpring Has Sprung: It’s Time for a Gut-Check
As warm weather finally comes to the north, our minds turn to outdoor activities. And with that comes the realization of the many pounds of winter excess that we have acquired during our hibernation....
View ArticleFDA Not Banning Wood-Aged Cheese, For Now
After cheesemakers and cheese lovers expressed their objections to an FDA interpretation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that appeared to ban the use of wooden boards for aging cheese, the...
View ArticleState Ballot Initiatives Put Health Law in the Ballot Box
On Election Day, November 4, 2014, several states took to ballot initiatives as a way to decide health law issues. Some of the initiatives focused on issues like regulation of health insurance...
View ArticleHighlight on Colorado: Marijuana Revenue Use May Send Mixed Message in Colorado
As of September 2014, legalized marijuana sales in Colorado have accumulated to $7.2 million. With an approximate 30-percent sales tax on purchases and 340 pot shops in Denver alone, $40 million of...
View ArticleFDA Commissioner Stepping Down After 6 Controversial Years
Dr. Margaret Hamburg, the FDA’s leader for the last six years, announced that she will be stepping down in March 2015. The FDA’s chief scientist, Stephen Ostroff, will become acting commissioner while...
View ArticleEgg on their faces: execs will serve jail time for violations, salmonella...
Quality Egg LLC (Quality), its owner, Austin “Jack” DeCoster, and his son, Peter DeCoster, the chief executive officer, were sentenced on April 13, 2015 for several related crimes involving the sale of...
View ArticleGMO bill rejects states’ patchwork regulation
The House passed a controversial bill blocking mandatory labeling of foods made with genetically engineered or genetically modified organisms (GMOs), supporting industry lobbying efforts to keep GMO...
View ArticleFee-for-all: FDA issues FY 2016 user fee rates
Eight notices regarding fiscal year (FY) 2016 user fees, rates, and payment procedures for prescription drugs, animal drugs, biosimilars, foods, medical devices, and human drug compounding outsourcing...
View ArticlePure powdered caffeine labels perk FDA’s interest
Five companies received warning letters from the FDA for producing pure powdered caffeine packaged for sale to consumers in potentially lethal quantities. According to the FDA, the products could be...
View ArticleReps want the funds to make food safety regulations worth the price
Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn) and Sam Farr (D-Calif) want proper funding to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act (P.L. 111-353) (FSMA) and called upon the White House Office of...
View ArticleFDA finally finalizes animal food safety rule under FSMA
The FDA issued new regulations for animal food safety under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) (P.L. 111-353), including new requirements for current good manufacturing practices (CGMP), hazard...
View ArticleAlvin and the Chipmunks brought in to reinforce food safety campaign
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is recruiting Alvin and the Chipmunks to help further education on food safety. 20th Century FOX will launch a series of public service ads (PSAs) featuring...
View ArticleFDA offers food for thought implementing human and animal preventive controls
Phase 2 of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) implementation, which involves putting in place new public health prevention measures and a risk-based industry accountability framework, was the...
View ArticleFDA establishes farming standards to prevent contamination of produce
The FDA has established standards related to produce in an effort to reduce the impact of foodborne illnesses among consumers. These standards to not apply to produce that is usually not consumed raw,...
View ArticleOIG takes a bite at FDA’s food recalls
The FDA did not have an efficient and effective food recall initiation process to ensure the safety of the U.S. food supply, according to a highly critical Office of Inspector General (OIG) report....
View ArticleFishy manufacturer shut down until it literally cleans up shop
An Alabama district court has permanently enjoined a seafood manufacturer from distributing adulterated and misbranded seafood products. The Department of Justice (DOJ), at the FDA’s request, filed a...
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